One common type of built-up roofing for commercial and industrial buildings consists of a layer of insulation board covered by a number of layers of roofing paper. The insulation board, in the form of 2 feet .times. 4 feet sections, is nailed to the roof deck and the roofing paper is then tar mopped to the insulation board.
In another type of built-up roofing, the insulation board is eliminated and the first ply of roofing paper is nailed to the roof deck and additional plies or layers of paper are tar mopped over the first layer.
During a period of years additional layers of roofing paper may be applied over the original roof. Eventually the thickness of the roof may increased to the point where additional layers cannot be applied to the roof due to the added weight, and the entire roofing must then be removed. In some cases, depending on the conditions, the insulation board must be removed as well, and new layers of insulation board and roofing paper applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,433 discloses a self-propelled apparatus which can be utilized for removing roofing prior to application of a new roof. By use of the apparatus of the aforementioned patent, the roofing is dislodged from the roof and moved up an inclined platform. Workmen then hand carry the dislodged sections of the roofing to a suitable disposal site.
The use of the roof removing apparatus of the aforementioned patent substantially reduces the period of time required in removing the roofing, as compared to hand scraping methods used in the past. However, a certain amount of hand labor is nevertheless required in order to transfer the dislodged pieces of roofing to carts, or hand carry the dislodged material to a disposal site.